Mia's Mission: Why I'm issuing a 30 before 30 challenge to myself

Four days after my birthday, I was stuck in a room with 15 co-workers teasing me about my extreme octopi phobia.

Octopi are eight-legged murderers and a true threat to the fabric of society. Trust me.

But they also encouraged me to run a 5K. They convinced me to drive a stick shift for the first time and sing karaoke by myself. Sober. Here's hoping all of those years of obsessively watching Beyoncé videos will compel my inner ***Flawlessness.

I woke up like this, as the Queen Bey herself would sing, with an extreme phobia of octopi.

That's right, I'm Mia Watkins and I just turned 29. I'm on a mission to do 30 things I've never done before during the last few months of my twenties. With the support of friends and my colleagues at AL.com, I'm up for the challenge.

I hope you'll join me.

In fact, within the next week, I plan on climbing the stairs at Vulcan.

I've identified 25 things I want to challenge myself to do:

Run a 5K

Wear a midriff top

Find the perfect shade of red lipstick

Sing karaoke by myself

Find and wear a wig for a day

Become a certified wedding officiant and actually marry someone

Pay off two credit cards

Learn how to change a tire

Walk the stairs at Vulcan Park & Museum

Take a dance class

Become a beer expert

Go on a pub crawl

Learn how to cook something really awesome

Volunteer

Raise money for the National MS Society

Do something kind for someone anonymously

Go zip lining

See Justin Timberlake live

Learn to drive stick

Drive a classic car

Go to every concert venue in Birmingham

Go on a solo vacation

Find a signature cocktail

Plan a spectacular 30th birthday party

Where is the rest of the list, you ask? That's where you come in. I'm open to (reasonable) suggestions. What are some of the things you wish you had done or hope to do before the big 3-0? Let me know in the comments below. I also want to invite you guys to join in with me while I cross things off.

Why am I doing this? As a kid, I quit everything. I also have some fears that I want to conquer. And, lastly, some of it just sounds fun. It's also a good way to prove to myself that I can issue myself a personal challenge that doesn't involve Netflix.

Join me Monday, August 25 at 1 p.m. as I kick this thing off with a quick trip to the top of Vulcan.